Category: Ratings
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Finally, a movie unafraid to show a Bad Teacher
Bad Teacher – 2011 Directed by Jake Kasdan Written by Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupinsky Starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, Phyllis Smith, Molly Shannon, John Michael Higgins, Eric Stonestreet Russell: …it might be too soon, but do you wanna grab a bite or something sometime? Elizabeth: You still a gym teacher? Russell: I am. Yeah. Elizabeth: Then,…
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Just relax, enjoy the ride, ’cause you’re Fair Game
Fair Game – 2010 Directed by Doug Liman Starring Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Michael Kelley, Noah Emmerich, Ty Burrell, Sam Shepard, David Andrews, Adam LeFevre, Khaled Nabawy Written by Jez and John Butterworth “They lied. That’s the truth.” Five words, six if you count the apostrophe, that most succinctly describe the Cheney/Bush Administration. Many egregious…
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John Carpenter’s The Ward has plenty going for it, even if he’s working with a pedestrian script
John Carpenter’s The Ward – 2011 Directed by John Carpenter Starring Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh, Lyndsy Fonseca, Mika Boorem, Jared Harris, Susana Burney, Dan Anderson Written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen The best of John Carpenter is among the best films of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Halloween, Assault on Precinct…
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All this useless pondering: The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life – 2011 Written and Directed by Terrance Mallick Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, Joanna Going, Hunter McCracken “The nuns taught us there were two ways through life – the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow. Grace doesn’t try…
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Forgotten Gem: Mao’s Last Dancer
Mao’s Last Dancer – 2009 Directed by Bruce Beresford Starring Cin Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Joan Chen, Kyle MacClachlan, Wang Shuangbao, Amanda Schull, Ferdinand Hoang Written by Jan Sardi, based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin There’s a point early in Mao’s Last Dancer when young Li Cunxin, is missing home badly. He’s been selected from his small…
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Monte Carlo: Gomez has fun just slightly off the beaten Disney path
Monte Carlo – 2011 Directed by Thomas Bezucha Starring Selena Gomez, Katie Cassidy, Leighton Meester, Catherine Tate, Andie MacDowell, Pierre Boulanger, Cory Monteith Written by Bezucha, April Blair, Maria Maggenti, based on the novel Headhunters, by Jules Bass Doppelganger. Whenever this is the basis of your film, you can safely adjust your expectations. This is…
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Green Lantern is darkened with too many writers, effects
Green Lantern – 2011 Directed by Martin Campbell Starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins Written by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Goldenberg There is an easy theory to have with movie making. After 2, the more writers you get for a film, the more trouble you have.…
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Zookeeper: Kevin James is the scream queen for fat guys
Zookeeper – 2011 Directed by Frank Coraci Starring Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Mark Wahlberg, Leslie Bibb, Joe Rogan, Ken Jeong, with the voice work of Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Maya Rudolph, Bas Rutten Written by Nick Bakay, Rock Rueben, Kevin James, Jay Scherick, David Ronn It took 5 writers for this movie.…
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Horrible Bosses is not nearly as bad as it’s title
Horrible Bosses – 2011 Directed by Seth Gordon Starring Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Donald Sutherland Written by Michael Markowitz, John Frances Daley, Jonathan Goldstein In the ever perfectly fitting placement of poor Hollywood screenwriting, three high school friends find themselves stuck between a rock and…
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The Conspirator reveals a dangerous tipping point in our country’s history
The Conspirator – 2010 Directed by Robert Redford Starring James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Alexis Bledel Written by James D. Solomon “…I too, hold sacred our rights, counselor. But they count, not at all, if our nation ceases to exist.” These words from Secretary of…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 